Welcome back! Were you eagerly awaiting this? If not, that's fine. At least you are reading. ;)
First off, I want to say that I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but that's the only way I could make it work. Don't worry, chapter 13 is going to come like within the next day or so.
Please be patient. I know it's been insanely too long but I have so little time now and my brain has been turned to story mush... let me know if it shows in the chapters, I really hope it doesn't. BUT FEAR NOT! I have my creativity back, I just need more flipping time... haha
But all in all, here it is... please enjoy and review. :)
A hand came down, striking pain as it smacked across Shamus' already pulsing face. He yelled out in anger and irritation at the pain; this had to be the hundredth time he'd gotten slapped and punched by now.
"Who are you working for?" Alternate Reality Stephen was yelling, leaning on the table in front of him; Shamus was tied to a chair on the opposite side of the table. Stephen had been trying to get him to speak for about half an hour… but so far, the only thing he'd said was, "Piss off, Soldier-boy." And it was really getting on Stephen's last nerve.
Becker walked up to the table next to Stephen. "I don't think he's going to talk." He stated at Stephen, who just glared at him. "What? He's not budging. And if you ask me, we should just shoot him." Becker pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Shamus; the smug smile wiped away from his face for the first time.
Stephen grabbed Becker's arm, making him lower the gun. "Well no one asked you!" he said harshly.
"He won't respond to your little girlish slaps and weak punches," Becker retorted. "But if I was going to shoot him, which you know I would, I'm sure his attitude would change…" Becker stared at Shamus, seeing his reaction.
"Well you know what? You can do what you want when you're asked to interrogate someone… but right now-this is my job. Not yours. Now be a good soldier and get out of here."
"Oh shut up, you're a soldier too."
"Yeah, a better one," Stephen responded. The two soldiers glared at each other, now promptly forgetting about Shamus.
Becker glared at Stephen intently. "You know what? I have half a mind to take this pistol to you right now…"
Stephen smirked. "No, you just have half a mind."
"You little-" Becker started, but Shamus cut him off.
"Oh come on! You two are squabbling like a pair of married idiots!" Shamus said, his Irish accent becoming rather surprising after the long silence he'd provided since he'd been here. "If you want to shoot me, go ahead. I doubt either of you morons could do it… you probably have orders to keep me alive, and you'll obey them like the good little soldier-boys you are," Shamus said, the smug, too-perfect smile reappearing on his face.
Stephen glared at him for a moment, and then said to Becker, "Alright, shoot him."
Becker smiled and pointed his gun at Shamus' head again. "The only orders we were given was to find out who hired you… I'll shoot you if you don't."
Shamus stopped smiling and watched Becker intently. "You're bluffing," he insisted.
"Try me…" Becker challenged, cocking the gun in his hand.
Shamus swallowed, clenching his jaw. "Alright, alright," he started. "I'll tell you what I know… just put the gun away. The stupid money isn't even worth it if I'm dead…" he muttered.
Becker lowered the pistol, but he didn't un-cock it… just in case. "Who hired you and what exactly for?"
Shamus took a deep breath. "Some insane Area 51 soldier named Jack Maitland. He paid me to come here to this reality and destroy the Anomaly Research Centre…among other details. But the goal was to get rid of the ARC and everyone in it… those were my orders."
Becker's eyes narrowed. "Jack Maitland?" He turned to Stephen, since he was an Area 51 soldier himself, he should know who this Jack was. "Do you know who that is?"
Stephen thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes… he's a soldier, as he said; or rather… was a soldier."
"What do you mean?" Becker inquired.
"Well… he had a sort of melt-down a while back and they took him off the force. He was banned from ever coming back to Area 51."
Becker was about to speak, but he was interrupted by the doors to the room opening. Lester came inside with an almost panicked look on his face. "Becker, Stephen? My office. Now," he demanded. He turned around and walked out, expecting them to follow. They did, of course; locking the room door behind them.
Lester walked into his office, followed by Becker and Alternate Stephen. His office was a mess; having been rummaged through by the invading military soldiers. Lester had already called the Prime Minister, telling him that the Anomalies had closed and he could retract his military forces from the ARC, but so far he'd not done so… they were still here, giving people orders and messing with everything around the ARC.
Lester cleared his throat and turned to the two soldiers, feeling it ironic that one was an ARC soldier and one an Area 51 soldier. "As you two know, the future anomalies closed nearly 24 hours ago," he began. "Unfortunately… we have yet to see any sign of Connor Temple. As far as we know, he's still in the Alternate reality."
Becker was the one to speak next. "Why wouldn't he come back straight away?"
"I'm not sure," Lester said. "Perhaps the anomaly opening device he has isn't working. Right now all we can do is wait…"
Becker and Stephen looked at each other, almost glaring. They knew that if Connor didn't open an anomaly back to connect the two realities, Stephen and Cutter couldn't get back, and that could be very bad. But in truth… they had no idea how bad, yet.
Lester was in the middle of a sentence when all of a sudden shots were fired down in the main room of the ARC. Becker and Stephen ran out of the office, Becker pointing his gun.
"Put the gun down!" one of the soldiers that had been sent by the Prime Minister yelled as he pointed his own gun at Becker. The situation was confusing… about half of the Military soldiers had their guns pointed at the ARC workers and even their own, now very confused, fellow soldiers. What exactly was happening here?
The front doors of the ARC opened, the now hostile soldiers making everyone back away for who came through the doors… "Welcome all! To the beginning of absolute… peace," said the man who walked in.
Abby woke up on a couch in the ARC. After handing Shamus over to Becker, she'd gotten Sarah to take Mike back to the flat, and then she crashed on this couch. It'd been almost 24 hours since the anomalies closed; she figured Connor had to be back by now… but as she walked up to Lester's office and heard the conversation he was having with Becker and Stephen, she realized that wasn't the case.
"What?" she whispered to herself. Abby needed Connor to come back… why wasn't he coming back? Of course what Abby didn't know was that Connor couldn't come back… something she would find out later on.
Abby ducked when she heard a gunshot. Becker came out of the office, running past her. She saw the place start to turn into something of a hostage situation in an instant; the military soldiers being the hostage takers… then the apparent leader of it all came through the front doors.
"Oh my god…" Abby breathed when she saw who walked into the ARC. "Jack?" she said in surprise.
TBC in chapter 13!
As I said before, next chap. will be coming in the next day or so. It's in the works right as we speak... literally. It's actually sitting here on my desk on my laptop staring me in the face with half a page already written... Dammit, it's mocking me...
*ahem* so then! Please let me know your thoughts and be awaiting the next chapter soon!
Thank you so much for reading!